122 The Philippine Journal of Science ™w 



Malaria should have been mentioned under the inoculation 

 group of diseases, along with plague, but for a particular reason 

 we wish to call attention to it now. We have been able to 

 demonstrate malarial parasites, or evidence of them, in about 

 20 per cent of all of the patients attending a large free clinic 

 in one of our hospitals. The subtertian parasite is frequently 

 found, and we have had several cases of genuine quartan, but 

 pernicious symptoms are infrequent. We have seen only eight 

 cases of cerebral malaria; of these, one is a genuine case of 

 multiple neuritis due to malaria. This is a rare and interesting 

 observation. In view of the small number of cases exhibiting 

 severe nervous symptoms it must be recognized that the nervous 

 system of these people is very resistant to attack from the 

 malarial parasite. 



In connection with the nervous manifestations of diseases as 

 observed, we wish to call attention to beriberi. This disease is 

 much commoner in the City of Bangkok proper than in the in- 

 terior of the country, no doubt due to the fact that in Bangkok 

 the people eat fine-milled rice while in the interior the rice used 

 is hand milled. This, of course, is not a new point in support of 

 the deficiency theory as to the etiology of the disease ; but another 

 point is to be found, in my opinion, in the prominence of the 

 nervous manifestations of the disease as found in the Siamese. 

 I believe this is due to the fact that, beriberi being a deficiency 

 disease, the nervous system along with the rest of the body must 

 naturally suffer from a lack of vital food elements ; whereas, if 

 beriberi were the result of a germ infection, I do not think the 

 nervous system of the Oriental would suffer as it does. We feel 

 justified in advancing this as an important point in support of 

 the deficiency theory as to the cause of the disease, in view of our 

 careful observations regarding the effects of germ infection as 

 a whole and the comparative immunity the Oriental nervous 

 system displays to the same. We must, of course, mention the 

 exception, leprosy, which is admittedly an important violation 

 of the general rule; but we do not think this exception completely 

 vitiates the value of further exploring this important field of 

 investigation. 



CONCLUSIONS 



1. Specific immunity to typhoid infection can be demonstrated 

 in 15.5 per cent of the people. This is in the nature of a racial 

 immunity, acquired as the result of using, for many generations, 

 an infected water and food supply. 



